The University of Utah shares a long and close relationship with the Ute Indian Tribe. The U uses the name “Utes” for its sports teams and has done so with full support from the Ute Indian Tribe since 1972. As Utah’s flagship university, the U takes pride in carrying the name with understanding and respect toward our state’s namesake people.

Each football season, the U designates a game as the Ute Proud game to honor Ute Indian Tribe culture and share it with the greater U community. U football players wear a specially designed Ute Proud helmet for the occasion, and members of the Northern Ute Tribe perform a traditional dance at halftime. If you missed this year’s Ute Proud game on Sept. 17, you can watch the video below and see photos from the performance.

Learn more about the Ute culture, heritage and the history of our region at uteproud.utah.edu.